Skehan Geological Colloquium

James Skehan, S.J.

The Weston Observatory of Boston College held its inaugural James W. Skehan, S.J., Geological Colloquium this fall, honoring its longtime former director who founded the University’s Geology (now Earth and Environmental Sciences) Department. Fr. Skehan is a renowned geologist whose research has focused on the history of the Avalon terrane, the geological micro-continent stretching from Long Island to Belgium upon which Boston lies. He directed the observatory, which monitors seismic activity around the globe, from 1973-93.

Kenneth Galli, lab manager and lecturer for Earth and Environmental Sciences, was the colloquium speaker and presented “Glacial or Non-Glacial? Formation of the Ediacaran Sedimentary Sequence of the Boston Basin” on September 28. Later this fall, Galli will lead the first in a series, also named for Fr. Skehan, of geological field trips for the public.